Notes from the Wizarding World
by O Mayari
Summary: A collection of drabbles and mini-fic. Includes the daily life of lesser-known denizens of the Wizarding World, excerpts from magical periodicals, and the inner workings of the Ministry. Originally posted on livesandliesofwizards., where they are accompanied by images of some of the Wizarding World's more overlooked moments.
1. Notes from the Ministry

This is a collection of selected drabbles and mini-fic from my Harry Potter tumblr, with an attempt to organize them into chapters focused on a common theme. The excerpts selected can stand alone, but every entry on the tumblr is accompanied by a photo or image, the goal being to give a coherent eye into the daily life of the Wizarding World and some of its more overlooked residents.

* * *

**Notes from the Ministry**

* * *

"…Although attacks against magical minorities in Northern and Eastern Europe have been on the rise as of late, we do not see that the Veela are in any real danger. We feel that Dumbledore's pleading on the matter has mis-characterized the situation. Moreover, as a matter of principle we have long held that those more malignant members of the magical community pose too much danger to Muggles to be permitted to migrate freely into Britain. Having accepted the Veela, are we then to allow foreign-born werewolves and hags into our borders?

We recommend that petitioners' application be denied and that they be gifted with a Portkey back to their country of residence. If they like, they can reapply with the French Ministry for asylum, but, Grindlewald or no, it is this Department's position that we have magical creatures enough in Britain. Let the Continent keep theirs."

- Memorandum to the Wizengamot from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, 1935.

* * *

"The prisoner has calmed in recent days, which is uncommon among individuals with significant exposure to Dementors. His only outburst occurred when Wiggleswade showed him the _Prophet_, with the report of Pettigrew's death still dominating the headlines. At this, he began to laugh almost manically, and only said again and again that this made him satisfied, that this would keep him sane.

"We believe he has already gone mad."

- Internal Memorandum on prisoner Sirius Black, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

* * *

"We believe that the charges of muggle-hunting and cruelty to infant centaurs are fatuous in this case. If magical liberty is to mean anything, surely it must mean the liberty of a wizard to employ crups, bloodhounds, and boarhounds in the defense of his own property. If muggles and magical creatures intrude on a wizard's estate, it should be understood that they do so at their own peril…"

- Excerpt from_ The Centaur Hind v. The Honorable Ophiuchus Malfoy, Esq._ (1699) 74 WZ 1311.

* * *

"The eleventh attack this year and still the monster remains at large. In this case, the father appears to have angered him somehow. St. Mungo's says the child will live. More's the pity, as it becomes clearer and clearer that those infected are better off dead.

"Recommendation: limit contact with the uninfected by any means possible. Werewolves are best stamped out of the wizarding world, for the good of all."

- Memorandum from Auror Bartemius Crouch Sr. to the offices of the Minister, concerning the Fenrir Greyback problem.

* * *

"Ward 4 has not been in use for some time, not since the death of prisoner #54903 (see file: Dumbledore, P.), and has fallen into some disrepair. The ward is of primitive construction, with poor warding, in fact with almost no magical infrastructure whatsoever. Although it was constructed a scant hundred years ago, its builders appear not to have caught up with even the most rudimentary Muggle attempts to light and ventilate.

"However, the high volume of the recently condemned demands that we reopen the ward. With nine convictions in the past three days alone (see files: Black, S.O.; Crouch, B. C. Jr.; Dolohov, A.N.; Lestrange, B.B.; Lestrange, R.D.; Lestrange, R.G.; Mulciber, D.J.; Nott, P.P.; Rookwood, A.P.) and countless more throughout the month (see Decree on Suspected Death Eaters & Suspicious Dark Creatures, filed with Umbridge, D.), we cannot afford to let Ward 4 sit empty. Although some have raised humanitarian concerns about conditions within, more hunger for justice, would be glad to see the Ministry take decisive action, and care little for providing such monsters with creature comforts (see October's MLE Report by Crouch, B.C. Sr.)."

- Internal Memorandum to the Minister on the conditions in Azkaban fortress, November 1981.

* * *

"The latest craze among our young wizards and witches, so hare-brained and impressionable, is this puerile manifesto, more a pamphlet than a book. Vacuous in the extreme, even its title, _Struggles of the Blood_, hearkens back to an inane Witch Weekly novella. It presents a slavish devotion to blood purity, a witless worship of the Dark Arts, and a truly perverse admiration for the recently-imprisoned Gellert Grindelwald. I have traced its arrival in Britain to the Knockturn Alley establishment of Borgin & Burke's; however, Mr. Burke is unavailable for comment, Mr. Borgin is currently in Albania, and only the shop assistant was able to address my concerns.

"This young man (far more charming, intelligent, and capable than most of his contemporaries) has told me that the author cannot be named. But he suspects that wizards and witches of his generation will not fall prey to stupidity for long, that they are attracted only to ideas with real might in them. I believe he is correct."

- Internal Memorandum from the Improper Use of Magic Office to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and the Department of International Magical Cooperation, documenting disturbing trends among underage witches and wizards.


	2. Magical Periodicals

**Magical Periodicals**

* * *

"It is well known that certain creatures, such as the shrake, should be harvested live for best potions results. Lazy witches and wizards will defer to the apothecary for such needs, but through careful instruction your own children need not be such dunderheads. Start them early, for wise magic use begins in the home!"

- Ten Tips For Conjuring A Future Head Boy or Girl, _Witch Weekly_'s annual parenting issue

* * *

"Banishing those old models you've found in the attic is the very height of foolishness. True, they move slowly and listlessly, no match even for granddad's Bluebottle. But collectors pay a pretty galleon for the right antiques, particularly if you've any early Cleansweeps or Comets. Have the broomstick appraised at your local Quidditch supply store, and, who knows? Perhaps you'll make enough to afford that Firebolt."

- Beating At The Bludger of Expense, in which _Which Broomstick_ offers advice to the thrifty Quidditch player

(Ron Weasley dog-eared this page and rushed to the attic. Unfortunately, Fred and George had already beaten him to it. Warburton Prewett's Model-1 Cleansweep was nowhere to be found.)

* * *

"What use is a self-shrinking potions set, you ask? Why, it has endless applicability in the hands of the discerning witch or wizard! Consider how easily it accompanies you on your travels! After all, which of your friends would not prefer a house guest who refrains from poking about their cauldrons and scales? And at home the set moves easily from the greenhouse to the laboratory for brewing with fresh and aged ingredients alike. For only three galleons, what more can a potioneer ask for?"

- Advertisement included in Slug & Jiggers quarterly mailing

* * *

"These are difficult to locate, and even more difficult to work with. For many years it was believed that slicing them lengthwise produced the best results, but in fact this may produce a murky residue when performed incorrectly. Despite their dignified stalks and brilliant heads, they are highly temperamental, and in potions it is not dignity or brilliance one seeks. It is the the joy of turning caustic, repellent ingredients to indispensable results." - 'On the Improper Harvesting of Certain Toxic Wildcaps,' Severus Snape, _Potioneering Progress_, Vol. IV, Issue 15.


	3. Noble & Most Ancient House of Black

**Noble & Most Ancient House of Black**

* * *

Narcissa:

She received four things by owl that morning. One was book with pictures of that muggle and his plain little house and her sister's dreary life, and a letter inside that only Cissy could read. It was a very boring letter — at least two thousand words and almost all about the halfblood child, except for that bit at the end, that told her _she didn't have to do this_ and _she had a home with them if she wanted it_ and _did she know what kind of man he was_ and _did she know what he was involved in_. Cissy thought that this business of motherhood had made Andromeda quite stupid.

She also received rubies for her ears and a matching goblin-made necklace. He must have paid a great deal for it. She kept the jewels and burnt the rest, and accepted Lucius Malfoy's proposal that very night.

* * *

Walburga:

It seemed to her that her son might return at any moment. Killed for desertion? It couldn't be true. He was a credit to his fathers. The other one one was the deserter. Then again, when she thought of all those muggles and the Pettigrew boy, she wondered if she hadn't been quite fair with her firstborn. Perhaps he deserved the house. Perhaps he was a credit to the family name, after all.

* * *

The House:

Once, the house was neither grim nor old. Its children were dutiful as such small snakes can be. Its sons were powerful, dark, and handsome. A succession of grey-eyed star girls, each more beautiful than the last, glittered from their posts in the garden, in the library, in the portraits, in the drawing room: Lyra, Elladora, Cassiopeia, Walburga, Bella. Then the second-to-last star girl came of age, and fell in love; and the second-to-last star son came to value friendship more than darkness and power; and the house turned against itself, becoming grim and dark.

But the world outside shone a little bit brighter.

* * *

Nymphadora Tonks:

"Is your mother a Black, really?"

"Really."

"And a Slytherin, really?"

"Really."

"So how did you end up here?"

"Because people aren't really that different underneath everything that separates them: I mean birth or blood-status or breeding or whether — I don't know, whether they're a werewolf and you're a grindylow and your love is fated to end in tears and death. I think Mum realized that none of that matters, that people are worth liking in spite of the trappings they come in, even if you're taught that they're incompetent and worthless. Dad did, too. And so did I. I call that trying to be kind, but I guess the hat calls it Hufflepuff."

* * *

Narcissa (II):

Once, she went to see her sister. And she found a boxy brick house; a town so commonplace and dreary with Muggles penned up behind fences, the better for each to claim their own unexceptional place; persons kind and cordial but valueless and dim. And then the little girl, with her extraordinary green hair trussed up and mostly hidden under an ordinary knit cap; and with no hint of recognition for her aunt, the out-of-place witch in the garden.

And in the witch a small glimmer of understanding for how one could choose something ordinary, something as everyday and commonplace as love, over all the brilliance and power in the world.

(idea submitted by retrousse)

* * *

Regulus:

Regulus was not a Gryffindor and did not act recklessly. He only thought very hard about why his elf should be forced into that cave. And it occurred to him, all ambitions aside, that there was simply no justification for it.

(Pure-blood pride? Only logical. Dark Magic? Please. I was weaned on Dark Magic. But try to kill my house-elf? I'll see you in hell.)

* * *

The Star Girls:

There were three sisters: constant and clever and united, well-born and wealthy and beloved, beautiful and powerful and sparkling as the stars. And what spells they might have worked! From birth, their stars suggested they might make a marvelous coven.

Oh, but what if one of the star-girls should find love? And another power? And the third both, or neither, or something greater still: it hardly even matters; as to star-girls love and power are so similar, whether we speak of worshipful ideology or principled adoration. Oh, so much for being constant and united and star-bright. So much for the star-girls, who might have been the leaders of the age, if only their courses had been fixed, not chosen.

* * *

Bellatrix:

All the disapproving daguerreotypes, and the proud portraits, and the ornaments stolen from the goblins, and the cursed Borgin-made cabinets, could and did dispirit some members of the family.

But not her. Never her.

"Oh no, cousin Sirius," she said, "Skulking in the hall like a kicked dog again? Keep that up, and you'll be no credit at all to Slytherin in the fall. Much less a credit to _us_."

* * *

Septimus & Cedrella:

Septimus found their differences no barrier to romance. And Cedrella had no care for her family's opinion. And so soon enough they were married.

There is not much more to be said on it, except that they were very happy. But their rather unremarkable story is worth noting, in case anyone thinks to argue that such open-mindedness and outright daring were unique to their descendants.

* * *

Andromeda:

Andromeda, though proud to be a Slytherin, nonetheless had some reservations. Her very long first year had produced not any great pride or ambition, but instead a general uneasiness. There was so much cheating, and jeering, and sneering; and such little greatness, which came of something more than sneering and jeering. So few of her house-mates noticed. But Andromeda, peering out from her older sister's shadow, couldn't help but see it. How all the rest of the school — even her kind Hufflepuff potions partner — believed they were heartless, and with good reason. But they weren't heartless, were they?

"My darling," said her Uncle very somberly, "What is my star?"

She could not quite see what that had to do with anything, but she dutifully answered, "Well, it's the heart of the serpent, I suppose."

"You see?" Uncle Alphard said, "Proof that we serpents have one. Find yours. There is no nobler ambition than that."


	4. Hogwarts: A History

**Hogwarts: A History**

* * *

The Fat Lady:

Few people realize that in her youth the Fat Lady was a great beauty and the toast of the Wizarding World. Why, she turned down Godric Gryffindor himself no less than five times, forcing him to content himself with only paltry tokens of her affection, and the portrait guarding Gryffindor Tower is the last - but not the only - one ever painted of her. In fact she had countless portraits done; today they are of enormous value to collectors and many are hidden away in Gringotts because of their tremendous loveliness and value.

* * *

Helena & the Baron:

The Baron loved her. He loved her shining beauty and cold brilliance; he loved her sharp intellect and her haughty, curious manner; and he loved how she thirsted for importance, for something wiser and grander than her half-cracked old mother wasting away in a tower full of mouldering books.

Of course, she also thirsted for something grander than _him_. This was a slight he could not forgive.

* * *

The Sword of Gryffindor (1):

"…but surely the fairest to have ever held Gryffindor's goblin-forged blade is Orva Prewett of Devon. Born before Hogwarts had established financial assistance for those witches and wizards not wealthy enough to pay their way, Orva was removed from school so that her family might afford to send her younger brothers instead. As kind, content, and unresentful as she was beautiful, Orva bore them no ill will and accompanied them faithfully to the gates of the school each year, for these were the days of the eleventh goblin wars, long before the Hogwarts Express.

"On one such occasion the twin boys were set upon by brigands just outside the gates, and Orva, who had given her wand away to the boys, was helpless to fight. She ran to the school for help, but found no one who would rescue her brothers, these being very callous times. Alighting on the Sorting Hat, she begged that it might give her the courage to defend the boys, and miraculously found herself in possession of the Gryffindor's sword. With it she was able to beat back her brothers' assailants before they could reach the school grounds, and for her heroism she was reinstated as a Hogwarts student. In time she became a very respected Defense Professor." - excerpt from _Hogwarts, A History_

* * *

Those Remaining:

Abandoned by Ambition, with Courage gone recklessly to his death, it fell to honest Toil and somber Intellect to keep the school alive. This period was not glamorous. Hard work and true wisdom rarely are. And yet Rowena and Helga knew, as few people do, that such virtues are necessary.

* * *

The Least-Liked Headmaster:

Following the man's death, many of those closest to Hogwarts' least popular headmaster rushed to declare that he had regretted whole portions of his life: his repeated overriding of the Board of Governors, his draining the school coffers to fund those subjects dearest to his heart and no one else's, his reinstatement of many of the old punishments, and all those students expelled for (to quote him directly) "thinking they know so much, and therefore learning so very little."

But the fact was, Phineas Nigellus Black was a Slytherin through and through. No matter how callous his behavior during life, he went to the grave with no regrets whatsoever.

* * *

Dilys Derwent:

Dilys Derwent, one of the most popular Heads Hogwarts ever had, retired from the school to take up mediwitch duties at St. Mungo's.

"But why?" the students asked her. Choosing to leave Hogwarts was inconceivable.

"Oh, but it is inevitable," Professor Derwent said, "For me and you both. Besides, if I've kept it the sort of place which will always be in your hearts; which offers you a home; which strengthens you when you must depart to make your course in the world; and which always, always welcomes you back—well. Then I think I've done the most a Head can do."

* * *

The Arithmancy Professor:

The Headmaster received many a criticism from traditionalist parents, the obsequious school governors eager to please them, and from unthinking Ministry aides. But none was as pointed as the clamor surrounding his hiring of that wild and Muggle-loving half-blood, Vector. For she had no use for the old arithmantic obfuscation, and she aimed to demystify the subject entirely. The magic of numbers, after all, could be be understood by all, provided they worked hard and consulted their numerological charts.

"I will not kowtow to the past," she told the Headmaster, "For I believe that magic - like mathematics - is infinite, and infinitely useful."

And so she was hired on the spot.


End file.
